Dresden (dpa / sn) - The municipal umbrella organizations in Saxony have asked the federal and state governments to act quickly in view of the increasing number of refugees. It is about limiting the numbers and supporting the municipalities with accommodation, said the Saxon City and Municipality Day (SSG) and the District Day on Friday in Dresden. The capacity of cities like Dresden and Leipzig is almost exhausted, and rural areas will also reach the limits of what is affordable in the foreseeable future.
"The challenge is even greater than that of the refugee movement in 2015. Not only have more asylum seekers and war refugees come to Germany since January 2022 than in the whole of 2015," said SSG President Bert Wendsche. Those seeking protection are subject to different regulations and require different forms of accommodation. The bottom line is that many municipalities lack the capacity for accommodation, daycare and school places and opportunities for integration.
"We don't see any initiatives by the federal government to effectively counteract the movement of refugees, particularly via the Balkan route, and to fulfill its rule-of-law control function," explained Wendsche. According to Henry Graichen, President of the District Council, the federal and state governments must recognize that municipal options are limited: “The federal government, the states and the municipalities must remain in control of the situation at all times and must not allow themselves to be driven into an unchecked movement of refugees ." Specifically, the umbrella organizations demand, among other things, protection of the European external borders and a constant contribution to the costs of taking in refugees. People who have no asylum or other right to stay in Germany must be consistently returned, it said. "The free provision of federal property for refugee accommodation should also be examined more closely."
